preprints.org > medicine and pharmacology > neuroscience and neurology > doi: 10.20944/preprints202308.1815.v1

Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Version 1 : Received: 24 August 2023 / Approved: 25 August 2023 / Online: 28 August 2023 (08:20:43 CEST)

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects both the upper and lower motor neurons in the nervous system, causing muscle weakness and severe disability. The progressive course of the disease reduces the functional capacity in the affected patients, limits daily activities and leads to complete dependence on caregivers, ultimately resulting in a fatal outcome. Respiratory dysfunction mostly occurs later in the disease and is associated with a worse prognosis. 46 participans were included in our study, with 23 patients in ALS group and 23 individuals in the control group. The ultrasound examination of the phrenic nerve (PN) was performed by two authors using a high-resolution "Philips EPIQ 7" ultrasound machine with a linear 4-18 MHz transducer. Our study revealed that the phrenic nerve is significantly smaller on both sides in ALS patients compared to the control group arba controls (p < 0.001). Only one significant study on PN ultrasound in ALS, conducted in Japan, also showed significant results (p < 0.00001). These small studies are particularly promising, as they suggest that ultrasound findings could serve as a additinioal diagnostic tool for ALS

Phrenic; Nerve; Sonography; Structural changes

Medicine and Pharmacology, Neuroscience and Neurology

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